“I didn’t want to tell you like this. It’s not ideal, but it’s the only way I know how. I’ve kept this a secret for almost twenty years. My mistake, my error, that has cost me everything.” He turns his blue gaze from the page to my questioning stare. “But no more. I’m not letting whatever the past has held me accountable for keep me from letting you know the real reason you’re here.”
Thane hands me the pages. Printed out documents that confirm what my mind was reeling with moments ago. It’s the evidence I was waiting to find, but never could. The confirmation in black and white, and even now, as I stare at it, I don’t believe it.
Perhaps, I don’t want to. Maybe all I want is to let this sink in and find out it’s a cruel joke. I don’t want it to be real, but I also do. How is that even normal?
“Is this… I mean…” I look up, begging him with a mere glance to tell me he’s lying. That this is all fabricated and he isn’t who I now know him to be.
But I’m not that lucky. I’ve never been one for those stupid lucky charms. Nothing in my life came because of chance. It was all just thrown at me, and I had to accept it.
“Are you…?”
Thane nods, and my chest tightens painfully. Breathing becomes difficult, and I know I’m lost to the truth. And it’s brutal, raw, and volatile. Just like love.
And when he finally voices it, when he finally utters the words, I feel like my heart is slowly cracking, one shard at a time.
“I’m your father.”
17
Etienne
I’m no longer alone in the house. I can hear the noise from the kitchen, living room, and even the garden. The Lancaster mansion has been my home for two long days, and I’m tired. We were ordered to wait for Isaac to arrive.
When he lands in a couple of hours, I’m going straight to the Calvert house to find out what the fuck is going on. I can’t sit here waiting for them to come to us. All I know is Dad got a message from Thane to confirm that Rukaiya is still alive; she’s so close, but so fucking far it’s unbelievable.
Tarian hasn’t spoken a word to me yet, well, not something he could say through Ares. I don’t know if he’ll ever forgive me for what happened, but I certainly will force him to acknowledge the fact that I was nothing more than an innocent youth at the time.
Ares saunters into the conservatory as I sip on the lemonade that Dahlia brought out to me. I’m still in pain, but I can’t just sit around and wait for shit to happen. I can walk, somewhat, and I’m able to bathe myself, which is a plus. But I don’t want to leave, not yet. If I do, it means going home to the place where I grew up, where memories of my mother and father still linger.
There’s always been hate that lived within the walls of our home, and even now, I recall all those spots—corners in our house that hold the guilt and shame—where my parents would fight, where they would hiss and sneer at each other.
“You feeling okay?” Ares questions as he flops onto the sofa opposite me. He’s wearing an old pair of jeans and a wifebeater that shows off the asshole’s muscles. Looks like he’s been working out again, big time.
“Yeah, I’m all good. I’m contemplating going home.” I meet his gaze, and all he does is nod. He knows what’s up. There’s never been secrets between us, so he knows my family is as fucked up as his. “Once Isaac gets here, I need to get Rukaiya,” I tell him.
“We will. I promise we will.” Nodding, I settle back against the cushions and drink up the last of the cool liquid before looking over at Ares again. He’s pondering, I can tell by the look on his face—pensive, thoughtful, and serious.
“What if something has happened to her and they’re stalling?” I finally ask the question that’s been weighing me down all night. All day. It’s been running like a godforsaken loop inside my head since I woke up.
“She’s alive, there’s nothing wrong.” Ares looks so sure, so confident in his new position as second in command. Philipe, his brother, is back in New York, and I know the second he learns about what’s been going on, he’ll be in Tynewood.
“Have you called your bro?”
Ares looks over at me. “No, not yet. If we don’t know what the hell is going on, I can’t give him a proper update. When he left, he told me I’m running things here.” I know there’s a lot of pressure on Ares, especially now. “Once your father gets here and we can talk to him, I’m hoping we have a clearer idea of why Thane is so adamant about wanting to be back in Tynewood.”